Thursday, May 26, 2011

How lucky are you feeling??


If you get the Homespun Magazine you may have seen the new Stitch-a-Long quilt designed by Lenna Green from Stitching Cow.  The first block was in Homespun Magazine Vol 12:4 and the other designs so far are available for FREE here on the website for the Magazine.  
You will be also be able to see the quilt when you take a look at the Stitching Cow website.
Now here is the fabulous part of this blog..
To celebrate the launch of this free Stitch-a-Long quilt, which she has designed, Lenna is having a giveaway of a kit for this beautiful quilt.  To find out more about this giveaway visit Lenna's blog and then help to spread the word. 


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Red sky in the morning...


...usually brings the response 'shepherd's warning' but it was not a day like that today.   As the sun rose over the top of the hill this morning the sky had a pinkish hue to it.  So here are a couple of shots, from my back deck, of the cloud formations this morning.   
Looking towards the west the clouds were thinner and stretched out across the sky.  

While in this shot towards the north the clouds were much larger and the sun's rays were hitting the underside of this cloud.  

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Just relaxing with a new book

Just taking time to relax and read a new book which arrived in the mail this week.  After seeing it out there in blogland I went ahead and ordered it for myself.  I have just been reading Jenny of Elefantz blog and she has started to make the first mini quilt from the book.  She has also set herself the challenge to work her way through the others over the course of the year.  If anyone else, who has the book, is interested in joining her on this adventure then she has invited you to leave a comment on her post from yesterday.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Lots of thinking, not much sewing!

The daylight hours are getting shorter and it has been a week with little action on the crafting front.  Lots of plans for projects going on in my head ( insert 'daydreaming' here as a more likely scenario).   The last leaves are holding on in some of the trees in the garden- a strong wind and the last ones on the Golden Elm will fall I'm sure.



The blossom tree has one leaf still hanging in there and its pre winter flourish of blossom is starting- NOTE the lovely blue sky that we have today!!  If I seem obsessed with nice, clear days then maybe it is because everything seems so much brighter when the sun is shining and as winter approaches who doesn't want to see the sun??


Last year I made a shaggy quilt for Mum and then thought for something different that I would make another quilt but piece the squares  this time- well I have got the top pieced together- now all I have to do is quilt it- (the shaggy one was so much quicker!)  I took the photo outside on the clothesline and the sun was shining at the back of it.


Looking forward to the State Of Origin this week and keeping my fingers crossed for a NSW win- it's about time for a win for my old home state!!!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Needed- one new windscreen!!

Things were going so well yesterday- I'd caught up with some friends after work and was on the way home when it happened.  Just on dark, doing 100km on the highway, one large truck coming past me on the other side of the road and bang!  a stone hit the car, what a noise it made- (who knows what I must have yelled out when it happened!) frightening all right and a rotten end to the day.  There was a dent at the bottom of the windscreen and today several long cracks have spread across it- so now it's ring the insurance and see about getting a new one fitted.


On a brighter note, though, I have a finish for the month- a Christmas Bonbon.  I have also been busy making petals for my hexagons - so now I need to start making them into flowers.  Some of my other stitching is moving slowly so I need to up the pace there.  

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mothers Day!


Wishing all Mum's a wonderful day.
I know that for us here in New Zealand and Australia it is Mothers Day today,  
but for everyone else around the world I hope that you all have a lovely day too! 



I have a lovely 'vase of flowers' from Lush ( the smell is just wonderful, especially the blueberry one!) a DVD of Mao's Last Dancer and a card with Winnie The Pooh ( he was a favourite when my two girls were small and is still a favourite today, some 20 something years later)  They even put a gorgeous photo of themselves when they were just 2 and 4 years old on the table with the pressies- where have all those years gone.......

Sunday, May 1, 2011

May Day ( now April is over)



Yes I should be moving on to my May blocks for TTS but I am frantically stitching to finish the April ones- other things have got in the way.   After all, they are only small, and I'm telling myself they should have been finished- so hopefully the photo will appear some time before the week is over!
Meanwhile I have finished something for Christmas, a little button tree.

I have also been working on some more hexagons they can be quite distracting, but they great to have as they are easy to work on at night when the eyes are feeling a little tired.  The piles are growing and next step will be to start to make more flowers.
The weather continues to be kind to us.  After a few frosts during the week it has been bright, sunny days of late- it sure does make a difference!  There are still the odd few flowers lingering on the plants like this rose on one of my climbers.  When leaves are dropping all around us it is nice to see something still blooming in the afternoon sun.